Danilo Lavieri said Santos initially tried to present Neymar as being fit before the Brazil national team call-up, but the sequence of events did not support that version. According to his account, the issue around Neymar’s physical condition dragged on and became a dispute over how the situation was being framed publicly. Santos president Marcelo Teixeira had said Neymar was fine and would be able to play on Wednesday, but shortly after Neymar’s name appeared in the national team squad and the next day reporting indicated the problem was not just a minor knock from a match. Instead, it was described as a real injury that would keep him out for at least 10 days, and possibly 15. Lavieri argued that there was no attempt to change the narrative after the fact; in his view, Neymar was called up while injured.
Mauro Cezar said the main issue was not only the call-up itself, but the lack of accountability while Santos was going through a difficult period. He criticized what he sees as the club accepting the public script even as the team was struggling near the bottom of the standings and facing relegation danger. In his view, it was unacceptable that no one reacted strongly enough to the situation, especially with the club “in the hole” and the president insisting that Neymar was doing well. Mauro questioned whether the team itself could also be considered fine when the club’s results were clearly poor.
Arnaldo Ribeiro added that Santos may spend a long time being treated as a secondary concern within what he described as the “Neymar World Cup project.” He said the club is at risk of remaining in the relegation zone over the next several weeks while attention stays focused on Neymar’s return and his path toward the World Cup. Ribeiro called the situation bizarre and dangerous, arguing that Santos appears more concerned with Neymar’s place in that long-term plan than with the immediate needs of Santos Futebol Clube.
Overall, the comments painted a picture of tension between club messaging and on-field reality. The debate centered on whether Santos was downplaying Neymar’s injury, whether the player was summoned while still not fully healthy, and whether the club’s leadership is prioritizing Neymar’s broader future over the team’s urgent battle to improve results and avoid relegation.
